1. Technical Field
The technical field relates to an interchangeable lens type camera system including a camera body and an interchangeable lens mountable to the camera body, and a camera body. More particularly, the technical field relates to an interchangeable lens type camera system and a camera body, capable of communicating between a camera body and an interchangeable lens and displaying an error on the camera body.
2. Related Art
Interchangeable lens type camera systems including a camera body and an interchangeable lens have been conventionally known. Furthermore, there is an interchangeable lens type camera system in which a camera body and an interchangeable lens communicate with each other. In such an interchangeable lens type camera system, for example, the interchangeable lens sends optical information of the interchangeable lens to the camera body. Based on the information, the camera body sends to the interchangeable lens a command to drive an aperture and a focusing lens in the interchangeable lens. In this manner, the camera body controls the interchangeable lens.
The interchangeable lens type camera system is provided with a detection means for detecting that the interchangeable lens has been attached to the camera body. When detecting with the detection means that the interchangeable lens has been attached thereto, the camera body attempts to communicate with the interchangeable lens. When the camera body has successfully communicated with the interchangeable lens, the camera body allows a normal shooting operation. On the other hand, when a communication error has occurred, the camera body determines that normal shooting cannot be performed due to an abnormality in the interchangeable lens. Hence, the camera body first prohibits a release operation. Then, when a user forcedly allows the release operation with a means for allowing release operation, the camera body allows a shooting operation with limited shooting functions. For example, JP-A-2006-038924 discloses an interchangeable lens type camera system that operates in the above-described manner.
There is also known an interchangeable lens type camera system in which, determining that normal shooting cannot be performed due to an abnormality in an interchangeable lens when a communication error occurs, a camera body sends to the interchangeable lens a reset signal to make the interchangeable lens perform an initialization operation (see, for example, JP-A-2005-164966).
Furthermore, there is an interchangeable lens type camera system in which, when a monitoring program detects a warning or error in any of the units of a camera body, the camera body notifies a user of which unit has an abnormality, by displaying a corresponding mark in a blinking manner (see, for example, JP-A-11-119319).
Also, there is an interchangeable lens type camera system having a camera body and an interchangeable lens mountable to the camera body, in which the camera body supplies power to the interchangeable lens. In the interchangeable lens type camera system, the camera body includes a power supply that supplies power to the interchangeable lens; a monitoring unit for monitoring a supplied voltage to be supplied to the interchangeable lens from the power supply; a detector for detecting an abnormality in power supply based on an output from the monitoring unit; and a controller for starting or stopping power supply to the interchangeable lens from the power supply, which stops the power supply when the detector detects an abnormality (see, for example, JP-A-2002-250964).
The interchangeable lens type camera system disclosed in JP-A-11-119319 can securely inform the user of a warning or error in any of the units and can easily notify the user of the error unit. However, the user does not know how to handle the warning or error. Furthermore, since the system only notifies the user, with a combination of light-up and blinking of an LED that there is a unit being in a warning or error state, the user needs to check by him/herself each unit of the interchangeable lens type camera system to find the unit being in a warning or error state, and then find out a method of handling a warning or error. Such a process is very cumbersome to the user.
In the interchangeable lens type camera systems disclosed in JP-A-2006-038924, JP-A-2005-164966, and JP-A-2002-250964, a prohibit release operation, stopping power supply to the interchangeable lens, or sending a reset signal for an initialization operation of the interchangeable lens is performed without securely informing the user of a warning or error in the units. Hence, the user has no idea why release operation is prohibited, why power supply is stopped, or why reset is done, and the user needs to check each unit of the interchangeable lens type camera system by him/herself. Such a process is very cumbersome to the user.